EATING OUT
A taste of home RHIANA HUGHES FINDS COMFORT IN DEEPEST DRONFIELD. y first visit to The Hyde Park Inn certainly won’t be my last. Having been on the hunt for a cosy, familyfriendly pub since I moved to Sheffield two years ago, walking into The Hyde Park Inn on a chilly Thursday night felt like I was coming back home. Walking in you can smell the home-cooked food being prepared in the kitchen, a welcome change to that usual wall of stale beer that hits you when you walk into most pubs across the country. After a warm welcome, my partner and I were seated at our table and wasted no time in getting stuck into the menu. To start, I went for the filled potato shells with cheese and bacon (£4.95), which were perfectly crisp on the outside while still light and fluffy on the inside. They had the perfect amount of filling, and the soft and salty bacon complemented the cheese wonderfully. My other half opted for the Soup of the Day (£4.95), which on this occasion was minestrone and was full of flavour while not overpowering, and a generous yet not too large serving which left him ready for his main course. The warm, homely environment of the restaurant meant neither of us could resist
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some good old comfort food for our main courses. Ben chose the homemade beef lasagne (£8.95) and I the Homemade Pie of the Day (£9.25). The lasagne came served with garlic bread, crispy side salad and homemade coleslaw. The cheese on top was flavourful yet not too intense while the beef was tender and melted in the mouth, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little bit of food envy. The Homemade Pie of the Day was steak and ale – my all-time favourite – and was accompanied by a hearty serving of chips, peas and a side of gravy. The beef was perfectly cooked and fell apart, and the gravy was the best I’ve had in a long time, with just the right amount of ale giving it an extra kick. We’re not usually dessert people, but The Hyde Park Inn had us rethinking our stance on after-dinner treats. The chocolate fudge cake (£4.50) was calling Ben’s name, and the only tough choice he faced was whether to pair the dessert with custard or ice cream. Choosing the latter, he told me the contrast between the warm cake and cold ice cream was an added bonus to the already lovely moist and chocolatey indulgence.
For my dessert I chose the Belgian waffles (£4.75), which were served with vanilla ice cream and lashings of chocolate sauce. As we finished our meal, we noticed the Thursday night quiz starting up, and though tempted, we were very much full and ready for home. Walking back to the car we noticed how the string of lights in the pub garden made even the cold outdoors feel cosy, and we vowed to come back the next time we feel ourselves missing mum’s home cooking. Hyde Park Inn 2 Hilltop Road, Dronfield, S18 1UH Tel: 01246 290120 Email: dronfieldhydepark@gmail.com thehydeparkinn.uk
AT A GLANCE... * Family-friendly * Warm welcome * Homemade food
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